Obtaining Security Clearance

There has been much discussion about what constitutes a foreign national contact when filling out the SF-86 or what the reporting requirements are under continuous evaluation. Opinions are diverse and open to a matter of interpretation. However, a State Department employee who had a Top Secret security clearance went a

As a part of continuous evaluation requirements clearance holders are supposed to notify their agency or company security officers whenever they have been arrested or charged with a criminal offense. Many do not, or delay in communicating the information in hopes that they can get the charges dropped or downgraded. 

While the vast majority of security clearances are processed through the Department of Defense, several government agencies (including the Intelligence Community) run their own investigation processes. While the security clearance adjudicative criteria are standard, federal employment suitability standards differ between agencies, as well as procedures for clearance denial. The State

So you applied for and were offered a job that requires you to get a Secret security clearance. What does that mean? What checks are run, how far back do they go and who will they contact? Some details are not releasable for public consumption, but the below information is